Method of manufacturing toy finger board with removably attachable finger shoes

ABSTRACT

A method of manufacturing a toy finger skateboard may include inserting a flange portion of a toy finger skateboard truck into a flange receiver of a toy finger skateboard deck. The toy finger skateboard truck is moved such that a column portion of the toy finger skateboard truck is received by a through hole of the toy finger skateboard deck, and then, the method involves interacting with a top end of the column portion of the toy finger skateboard truck to affix the toy finger skateboard truck to the toy finger skateboard deck. A portion of the top end of the column portion may be cylindrical. The top end of the column portion of the toy finger skateboard truck may be welded to a seat portion of the toy finger skateboard deck, and the welding may include spin welding.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser.No. 17/582,558 entitled “TOY FINGER BOARD WITH REMOVABLY ATTACHABLEFINGER SHOES AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING THE SAME,” filed on Jan. 24,2022. The contents of this application are incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to toy finger boards, and morespecifically to toy finger boards associated with finger shoes, whichare configured to be removably attached to the finger boards.Furthermore, the present invention also relates to a method ofmanufacturing a toy finger skateboard.

BACKGROUND

In the toy industry, toy finger boards have become an extremely popularand well-known play option for both children and adults. Directedlargely to children and collectors, these toy finger boards typicallyresemble and have features similar to the life-sized boards used for thecorresponding sport. Some of the most popular toy finger boards are toyfinger skateboards, however, other toy finger boards such as toy fingersnowboards, surfboards, wakeboards, and wakeskate boards have been made.However, while the appearances and physical size, as well as otherdesign properties, have been stressed and improved upon to providegreater cohesiveness with the corresponding life-size boards, thefunctionality and manufacture of toy finger boards has remainedrelatively unchanged and, thus, is in need of constant enhancement andimprovement.

The functionality of existing toy finger skateboards is limited becausethe existing toy finger skateboards are not configured to be removablyattachable to the user's finger tips. In this regard, a user playingwith an existing toy finger skateboard may only be limited to performingtricks on a flat surface such as a floor, desk, or table. Tricksperformed with toy finger skateboards on flat surfaces are oftenreferred to as flat ground tricks and are generally difficult to performusing toy finger skateboards, especially for children. Further, it iseven more difficult to perform aerial tricks using existing toy fingerskateboards, i.e., without the user grabbing the toy finger skateboardwith the user's fingertips, which would obviate the preferred manner ofplay in which the user uses only two fingers to imaginatively replicatethe legs of a life-size skateboarder. Therefore, existing toy fingerskateboards limit the play modes with which the toy finger skateboardcan be used. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a toy fingerskateboard with additional enhancements and play modes.

Additionally, the existing processes by which toy finger skateboards aremanufactured are in need of constant enhancement and improvement. Toyfinger skateboards are typically manufactured such that the constituentelements of the toy finger skateboards largely correspond to theconstituent elements of life-size skateboards. For example, existing toyfinger skateboards often use miniature nuts and bolts to connectminiature trucks to a miniature deck of the toy finger skateboard in asimilar way that nuts and bolts are used to connect the trucks to thedeck of a life-sized skateboard. The many components used to manufactureand assemble existing toy finger skateboards frequently complicates themanufacturing process because several different machines and processesare often required to manufacture and assemble the many individualcomponents.

Further, in instances in which existing toy finger skateboards arepackaged and sold in a disassembled manner, packaging is morecomplicated due to the individual components, and the small componentsmay be cumbersome to assemble for the user with poor eyesight or a userthat is not particularly dexterous, which may be the case for manychildren. These small components may also be easily lost or misplaced.If one or more of the small components are lost or misplaced, thestructural integrity of the toy finger skateboard may be compromised orthe toy finger skateboard may be rendered inoperative. Accordingly, itis desirable to provide a method of manufacturing a toy fingerskateboard that reliably secures the miniature trucks to the miniaturedeck in a cost effective manner and/or in a manner that avoids the useof small removable structural components that are hard to see, hard touse, and easy to lose.

SUMMARY

According to one exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a methodof manufacturing a toy finger skateboard may comprise: inserting aflange portion of a toy finger skateboard truck into a flange receiverof a toy finger skateboard deck; moving the toy finger skateboard trucksuch that a column portion of the toy finger skateboard truck isreceived by a through hole of the toy finger skateboard deck; andinteracting with a top end of the column portion of the toy fingerskateboard truck to affix the toy finger skateboard truck to the toyfinger skateboard deck.

In some of these embodiments, the portion of the top end of the columnportion may be cylindrical. However, the entire column portion or aportion of the column portion may be any suitable shape. Additionally oralternatively, the top end of the column portion of the toy fingerskateboard truck may be welded to a seat portion of the toy fingerskateboard deck. For example, the welding of the top end of the columnportion of the toy finger skateboard truck to the seat portion of thetoy finger skateboard deck may be accomplished by spin welding.Additionally or alternatively, the welding of the top end of the columnportion of the toy finger skateboard truck to the seat portion of thetoy finger skateboard deck may be accomplished by deforming the top endof the column portion to create a seat flange within the seat portion.

In some embodiments, the seat portion of the toy finger skateboard deckmay be below a top surface of the toy finger skateboard deck.Additionally or alternatively, a grip layer may be affixed to the topsurface of the deck. Thus, in some instances, the grip layer may coverthe seat portion of the deck.

The toy finger skateboard deck may be removably attachable to at leastone shoe. Each shoe may include a finger hole in an upper of the atleast one shoe and at least one bracket on a sole of the shoe. Thebracket may be configured to removably attach the at least one shoe tothe toy finger skateboard deck.

In some of these embodiments, a shoe may have a length that is longerthan a width of the toy finger skateboard deck. Additionally oralternatively, there may be a first bracket attached to a front end ofthe sole and a second bracket attached to a back end of the sole. Forexample, the first bracket may be configured to wrap around a first sideedge of the toy finger skateboard deck, and the second bracket may beconfigured to wrap around a second side edge of the toy fingerskateboard deck, wherein the first side edge and the second side edgeare on opposing sides of the toy finger skateboard deck. Additionally oralternatively, the first bracket may be configured to contact a firstside edge of the toy finger skateboard deck, and the second bracket maybe configured to contact a second side edge of the toy finger skateboarddeck, wherein the first side edge and the second side edge are onopposing sides of the toy finger skateboard deck.

In some embodiments where at least one shoe includes two brackets, theat least one shoe may comprise a deformable material and be configuredto attach to the toy finger skateboard deck by placing the first bracketon the first side edge of the board and deforming the at least one shoesuch that the second bracket wraps around the second side edge of thetoy finger skateboard deck. The deformable material of the shoe may bean elastic material that returns to its original shape afterdeformation, and the deformable material may be a resilient deformablematerial. Alternatively, the at least one shoe may comprise a rigidmaterial. Regardless of the material of the shoe, the shoe may beconfigured to slide onto the toy finger skateboard deck from a front endor a back end of the board.

Still further, in some embodiments, there may be an insert configured tobe inserted into the sole of the at least one shoe between the firstbracket and the second bracket. In some of these embodiments, when theinsert is inserted into the bracket assembly, a bottom surface of theshoe has a continuous surface. Additionally or alternatively, the toyfinger skateboard, the at least one shoe, and associated method(s) ofmanufacturing such components may include any of the features, andrealize any of the advantages of, any embodiments discussed herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows an exemplary toy finger skateboard that is being controlledby a user's finger-tips inserted into toy finger shoes in accordancewith an embodiment of the present application.

FIG. 2 shows an exploded view of a toy finger skateboard assembly inaccordance with aspects of the present application.

FIGS. 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D, and 3E respectively show bottom, top, front, side,and isometric perspective views of a toy finger skateboard in accordancewith aspects of the present application.

FIG. 4A, shows a front perspective, cross-sectional view with a crosssection through the centers of a kingpin and column of a base body of atruck assembly, in accordance with aspects of the present application.

FIG. 4B shows a front perspective, cross-sectional view with a crosssection through the centers of two wheels and two wheel pins, inaccordance with aspects of the present application.

FIG. 4C shows a side perspective, cross-sectional view with a crosssection through the centers of the kingpin and the column of the basebody of the truck assembly, in accordance with aspects of the presentapplication.

FIG. 4D shows an isometric perspective, cross-sectional view with across section through a flange of the base body of the truck assembly,in accordance with aspects of the present application.

FIGS. 5A through 5F show progressive positions of the truck assembly anda deck during an exemplary method of attaching the truck assembly to thedeck of the toy finger skateboard assembly, in accordance with aspectsof the present application.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of an exemplary method of attaching the truckassembly to the deck of the toy finger skateboard assembly, inaccordance with aspects of the present application.

FIG. 7A shows opposing side perspective views of a toy finger shoe withan insert inserted into the toy finger shoe in accordance with aspectsof the present application.

FIG. 7B shows an isometric perspective views of two toy finger shoes,which have had their associated inserts removed, and further shows aside perspective view of the inserts, which have been separated from theassociated shoes in which they are configured to be inserted, inaccordance with aspects of the present application.

FIG. 8 shows a front perspective, cross-sectional view of a toy fingershoe attached to a toy finger skateboard assembly, which has a crosssection through a flange portion of the base body portion of theskateboard truck within the board assembly in accordance with aspects ofthe present application.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring generally to FIGS. 1-8 , a toy finger board 100 is configuredto be controlled by fingers 320 of a user's hand 300. According to anexemplary embodiment, the toy finger skateboard assembly 100 may be usedwith or without toy finger shoes 200. Further, the toy finger shoes 200may or may not be attached to the toy finger skateboard assembly 100. Inone embodiment, finger holes 222 of toy finger shoes 200 are configuredto accept the finger-tips (not shown) of the user's fingers 320 suchthat the user wears each finger shoe 200 on a distal end of the user'sfinger. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 , toy finger board 100 is atoy finger skateboard assembly. However, in other embodiments, the toyfinger board 100 may be a toy finger snowboard, surfboard, wakeboard, orwakeskate board, and may have a corresponding structure, appearance,and/or ornamentation to resemble the same. Similarly, in the embodimentshown in FIG. 1 , toy finger shoes 200 are skateboard shoes. However, inother embodiments, the toy finger shoes 200 may be any type of shoes orboots such as, e.g., water shoes, wakeskating shoes, tennis shoes,basketball shoes, sandals, dress shoes, heels, cowboy boots, orsnowboard boots that may or may not have corresponding bindings (whichmay be removably attachable thereto). As such, the toy finger shoes 200may have a corresponding structure, appearance, and/or ornamentation toresemble any desirable shoes that may be used with any toy finger board100.

As illustrated in FIG. 1 , the toy finger board 100 is a toy fingerskateboard assembly that includes, inter alia, a toy finger skateboarddeck 110 connected to wheels 170 configured to roll on a variety ofsurfaces such as, e.g., a surface of a desk, table, counter, or floor.

A grip layer 130 may be attached to a top surface 111 (see FIG. 2 ) ofthe toy finger skateboard deck 110. A bottom surface 134 (see FIG. 2 )of the grip layer 130 may include an adhesive configured to bond thebottom surface of the grip layer 130 to the top surface 111 of the deck110. Alternatively, an adhesive may be applied to a top surface 111 ofthe deck 110 to secure the grip layer 130 to the top surface 111 of thedeck 110. A top surface 132 of the grip layer 130 may have a gritty orrough surface and may be composed of, e.g., sandpaper, a sandpaper-likematerial, silicon carbide, aluminum oxide, or the like. The grip layer130 of the toy finger skateboard assembly 100 may serve the aestheticpurpose of resembling a grip tape of a life-size skateboard. Further,the grip layer 130 may be functional and provide resistance and frictionbetween the deck 110 and the shoes 200, particularly when the inserts260 are within the soles 240 of the shoes 200, which are furtherdescribed below with reference to FIGS. 6A and 6B. In an alternativeembodiment, the grip layer 130 is not included in the toy fingerskateboard assembly 100; instead, the top surface 111 of the toy fingerskateboard deck 110, in and of itself, have a gritty or rough surface.

As noted above, the toy finger board 100 is not necessarily limited to atoy finger skateboard. Accordingly, instead of a toy finger skateboarddeck 110, the toy finger board 100 may be a snowboard, surfboard,wakeboard, or wakeskate board. In this regard, the top surface 132 ofthe grip layer 130 may not resemble grip tape of a life-size skateboardand may not include a gritty or rough surface. For example, the griplayer 130 may be composed of, e.g., a soft, high-traction,water-resistant foam material. Such foam material may comprise, e.g.,ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA), poly ethylene-vinyl acetate (PEVA), or apolyethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer. In the case of a toy fingersurfboard, the grip layer 130 may resemble a life-size surfboard'straction pad, also known as a stomp pad, and may be affixed to a portionof a back end of a top surface 111 of the toy finger surfboard. In thecase of a toy finger wakeskate board, the grip layer 130 may be similarin composition and appear as a grip layer of a life-size wakeboard. Inthe case of a toy finger snowboard or wakeboard, there may not be a griplayer 130 as the user's fingers might be attached to the toy fingersnowboard or wakeboard via bindings.

Referring now to FIG. 2 , an exploded view of the toy finger skateboardassembly 100 is shown. The toy finger skateboard assembly 100 generallyincludes a deck 110, two truck assemblies 140, and an optional griplayer 130.

The deck 110 may generally include a top surface 111, a bottom surface112, a first end 113, a second end 114, a first side 115, and a secondside 116. The top surface 111 and bottom surface 112; the first end 113and second end 114; and the first side 115 and second side 116 aregenerally on respectively opposing sides of the deck 110. That is, thedeck 110 may extend from the top surface 111 to the bottom surface 112(e.g., in a height or y-direction); from the first end 113 to the secondend 114 (e.g., in a length or x-direction); and from the first side 115to the second side 116 (e.g., in a width or z-direction).

The deck 110 may have curves along the length and the width of theboard, which may resemble the curves of a life-sized classic skateboard.With respect to the curve along the length of the board, on the distalends of the first end 113 and the second end 114, there may be “tails”that curve upward from the center of the top surface 111. These tailsmay be used to “kick” the toy finger skateboard assembly 100 into theair, e.g., to perform an “ollie” or other ground tricks. With respect tothe curve along the width of the board, there may a slight concave curvefrom the first side 115 to the second side 116. This curve along thewidth of the board may be useful when performing “flip tricks” with thetoy finger skateboard assembly 100. For example, a user may perform theaerobatic maneuver of a “kickflip” with the toy finger skateboardassembly by first using the tail to “kick” the toy finger skateboardassembly 100 into the air, and while the board is in the air, using afinger to apply pressure to either the first side 115 or the second side116 such that the toy finger skateboard assembly 100 performs a spiralwhile rolling once about its longitudinal axis. The concave curve alongthe lateral axis is further described below with reference to FIGS. 7-8in relation to the shape of the inserts 260 and shoes 200.

While the toy finger skateboard assembly 100 shown in FIGS. 1-5 has ashape that resembles the shape of a classic skateboard, which issymmetrical about vertical planes through the longitudinal and lateralcenters of the board, the toy finger skateboard assembly 100 is notnecessarily limited to such a configuration. The toy finger skateboardassembly 100 may instead resemble, e.g., an “oldschool” skateboard thatonly has one tail and a curved, pointed nose; a penny skateboard; aslalom longboard skateboard; a technical sliding longboard skateboard; acruiser skateboard; a carving longboard skateboard; a “freerider”longboard skateboard; a cruising longboard skateboard; a long distancelongboard skateboard; a “speedboard” skateboard; a boardwalkinglongboard skateboard; a surf style longboard skateboard; or any styleskateboard.

The deck 110 may further include at least one flange receiver 118 and atleast one through hole 120. The through hole 120 may include a seat 122and a throat 124. A flange receiver 118 may be associated with a throughhole 120 (i.e., positioned in relatively close proximity) and may beconfigured to accept a truck assembly 140, as further described below.In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 , there is a first flange receiver 118associated with a first through hole 120 which are collectivelyconfigured to accept a first truck assembly 140; and there is a secondflange receiver 118 associated with a second through hole 120 which arecollectively configured to accept a second truck assembly 140. However,in other embodiments, there may be any number of flange receivers 118and/or through holes 120. For example, a finger board might include onlya single truck assembly (alone or in combination with features suitableto attach a conventional truck to the deck 110 in a conventionalmanner).

Each truck assembly 140 generally includes a base body 142 and a hanger150, washers 160 and 162, bushings 164 and 166, and a kingpin 158. Thehanger 150 includes a pivot point 152, a through hole 154, and two wheelpin cavities 156. The pivot point 152 is configured to be accepted by apivot point receiver 148 of the base body 142. As shown in FIG. 2 , anupper bushing 164 may be placed on the upper side of the through hole154 is and a lower bushing 166 may be placed on the lower side of thethrough hole 154. The upper bushing 164 and lower bushing 166 may bedeformable annular (e.g., donut-shaped) rings made out of materials,e.g., rubber, that are configured to deform when the pivot point 152pivots within the pivot point receiver 148, such as when an assembledtoy finger skateboard assembly 100 turns. An upper washer 160 may beplaced on the upper side of the upper bushing 164, and a lower washer162 may be placed on the lower side of the lower bushing 166. The upperwasher 160 and lower washer 162 may be, e.g., flat disk-shapedcomponents that each have a through hole.

The hanger 150 is configured to be attached the base body 142. Inparticular, the kingpin 158 may be configured to be placed through thethrough hole of the bottom washer 162, the center of the annular bottombushing 166, the through hole 154 of the hanger 150, the center of theannular upper bushing 164, the through hole of the upper washer 160, andfinally into the kingpin receiver 149 of the base body 142. In thisregard, the kingpin 158 is configured to secure the hanger 150 to thebase body 142 of the truck assembly 140.

Each truck assembly 140 is further configured to be connected to twowheels 170 via wheel pins 172, which are configured to be insertedthrough the centers of the wheels 170 and into a respective wheel pincavity 156. Each wheel 170 may be configured to spin about therespective wheel pin 172, and there may be bearings (not shown) betweenthe wheels and the wheel pins. While the truck assembly 140 shown inFIG. 2 includes wheel pin cavities 156, which are configured to acceptwheel pins 172, an alternate embodiment may not include wheel pincavities 156 and/or wheel pins 172; instead laterally extending axles(not shown) may be unitarily formed with the hangers 150. In thisalternate embodiment, the axles may be configured to be placed throughthe centers of the wheels, the wheels may be secured to the axles viaaxle nuts, and the wheels may be configured to spin about the axles.

The base body 142 of the truck assembly 140 may be configured to attachto a bottom surface 112 of the deck 110. A method of attaching the basebody 142 to the deck 110 is further described below with reference toFIG. 8 . In addition to the pivot point receiver 148 and the kingpinreceiver 149, which are respectively configured to accept the pivotpoint 152 of the hanger 150 and the kingpin 158, the base body 142further includes a flange 143 and a column 144. The flange 143 and thecolumn 144 of the base body 142 are respectively configured to beinserted into the flange receiver 118 of the deck 110 and the throat 124of the through hole 120 of the deck 110.

As mentioned, the grip layer 130 includes a top surface 132 and a bottomsurface 134, which is configured to attach to a top surface 11 l of thedeck 110. Thus, the grip layer 130 may be configured to cover the flangereceiver 118 and the through hole 120 in order to make for asubstantially smooth and aesthetically pleasing surface top surface ofthe assembled toy finger skateboard assembly 100.

FIGS. 3A-3E show a partially assembled toy finger skateboard assembly100. In particular, FIGS. 3A-3E show a toy finger skateboard assembly100 that has assembled truck assemblies 140, which have been placedwithin the deck 110, but have not yet been secured to the deck 110.Further detail of an exemplary process by which a truck assembly 140 maybe inserted into and welded to the deck 110 is described below withreference to FIGS. 5A-5F.

FIG. 3A shows a bottom view including the bottom surface 112 of the deck110 to which the truck assemblies 140 are attached. The truck assemblies140 include, among other components, the hanger 150, the base body 142,and the kingpin 158. FIG. 3B shows a top view of the toy fingerskateboard assembly 100 prior to or without attachment of the grip layer130. The top view shows the top surface 111 of the deck 110, whichincludes a flange receiver 118 and a through hole 120. As shown, thethrough hole 120 includes a seat 122 and a throat 124 that can receivethe column 144 of the base body 142 (of a truck assembly 140).Specifically, the flange 143 can be inserted into the flange receiver118 and the column 144 can be inserted through the throat 124 of thethrough hole 120 of the deck 110.

FIG. 3C shows a front view of the toy finger skateboard assembly 100including the deck 110, the base body 142, the hanger 150, and twowheels 170. FIG. 3D shows a side view of the toy finger skateboardassembly 100 including the deck 110, two truck assemblies 140, each ofwhich include a base body 142 and a hanger 150, which are attached towheels 170 via wheel pins 172. FIG. 3E shows an isometric view of thetoy finger skateboard assembly 100 and shows the components noted-abovein FIG. 3B and further shows wheels 170 and hangers 150.

FIGS. 4A-4C show various cross-sectional views of the partiallyassembled toy finger skateboard assembly 100 shown in FIGS. 3A-3E.First, FIG. 4A shows a front view of the toy finger skateboard assembly100 with a cross section through the centers of the kingpin 158 and thecolumn 144 of the base body 142. As illustrated, the through hole 120 ofthe deck 110 includes a seat 122 and a throat 124 within which thecolumn 144 of the base body 142 is disposed. In the embodiment shown,the throat 124 and seat 122 are hollow cylindrical sections of thethrough hole 120, with the seat 122 having a diameter larger than thethroat 124. However, the shapes of the through hole 120, seat 122,and/or throat 124 are not necessarily cylindrical and may have anysuitable shape(s) or dimension(s). Similarly, the column 144 may becylindrical or may have any suitable shape(s).

Moreover, in the depicted embodiment, the column 144 of the base body142 includes a cavity 145 that has a cone-shaped cavity having a curvedbottom. However, other embodiments can include a cavity of any shape orneed not include a cavity. In any case, a height of the column 144 maybe greater than a height of the through hole 120. In one embodiment, thecolumn 144 is configured to be deformed from an original state S1, whichis the state shown in FIG. 4A, to a deformed state S2, in which statethe base body 142 of the truck assembly 140 is secured to the deck 110.As noted above, when assembled, the truck assembly 140 includes akingpin 158 that is placed through the through hole of the bottom washer162, the center of the donut-shaped bottom bushing 166, the through hole154 of the hanger 150, the center of the donut-shaped upper bushing 164,the through hole of the upper washer 160, and finally into the kingpinreceiver 149 of the base body 142. In the depicted embodiment, none ofthese components extend into the through hole 120. However, the depictedembodiment is just an example and the truck assembly 140 and/or thethrough hole 120 is/are not limited to this particular configuration ofcomponents, and may be assembled with additional and/or alternativecomponents and/or methods now known or later developed, for example, sothat at least some of the aforementioned components are secured withthrough hole 120 during installation of the truck assembly 140 onto deck110.

Second, FIG. 4B shows a front view of the toy finger skateboard assembly100 with a cross section through the centers of the wheels 170 and thewheel pins 172. In the illustrated embodiment, the wheels 170 areattached to the hanger 150 via wheel pins 172, which are inserted intoand attached to wheel pin cavities 156. In one embodiment, the innersurfaces 171 of the wheels 170 and outer surfaces 173 of the wheel pins172 adjacent to the wheels 170 have smooth surfaces to minimize frictiontherebetween. As such, bearings (not shown) are not necessary and maysave cost by minimizing the number of components and simplifying themanufacturing process. However, one or more bearings may be includedbetween each wheel and the wheel pin or the axle to reduce friction andenable the wheel(s) to roll faster. The pivot point 152 of the hanger150 may be placed within the pivot point receiver 148 of the base body142.

When the toy finger skateboard assembly 100 is completely assembled andperforms a turning motion, the first side 115 of the deck 110 may bemoved closer to the wheel beneath the first side 115 and the second side116 may be moved further from the wheel beneath the second side 116.That is, the deck 110 may tilt towards side 115. Further, thesubstantially rigid kingpin 158 may not deform, but instead the pivotpoint 152 of the hanger 150 may pivot within the pivot point receiver148 of the base body 142; and the deformable upper bushing 164 and thedeformable lower bushing 166 may compress their shape on the side of thehanger 150 closer to the wheel beneath the first side 115 of the deck110.

When turning the opposite direction, the second side 116 of the deck 110may be moved closer to the wheel beneath the second side 116 and thefirst side 115 may be moved further from the wheel beneath the firstside 115. That is, the deck 110 may tilt towards side 116. Similarly,while the substantially rigid kingpin 158 does not substantially deform,the pivot point 152 of the hanger 150 may pivot within the pivot pointreceiver 148 of the base body 142; and the deformable upper bushing 164and the deformable lower bushing 166 may compress their shape on theside of the hanger 150 closer to the wheel beneath the second side 116of the deck 110.

Third, FIG. 4C shows a side view of the toy finger skateboard assembly100 with a cross section through the centers of the kingpin 158 and thecolumn 144 of the base body 142 (i.e., along a center of the width ofdeck 110). In the illustrated embodiment, the flange 143 of the basebody 142 is disposed within the flange receiver 118 of the deck 110, andthe column 144 of the base body 142 is disposed within the throat 124 ofthe through hole 120 of the deck 110. As is shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 5C,in at least some embodiments, the flange 143 includes a substantiallyvertically extending portion; and the flange 143 further includes asubstantially horizontally extending portion attached to a top or distalend side of the substantially vertically extending portion. In theseembodiments, the flange receiver 118 may include a through hole thatfurther includes a stepped portion. A top surface of the stepped portionof the through hole of the flange receiver 118 is configured to be incontact with a bottom surface of the substantially horizontallyextending portion of the flange 143. The remaining components shown inFIG. 4C are consistent with the above-noted description, and discussionof the same is omitted.

FIG. 4D shows an isometric view of the toy finger skateboard assembly100 with a cross section through the flange 143 of the base body 142 ofthe truck assembly 140 that is closer to the second end 114 (not shownin FIG. 4D), which is opposite to the first end 113 of the deck 110. Inthis embodiment, the columns 144 of the base bodies 142, which are intheir original state S1, protrude above the top surface 111 of the deck110 because the height of the column 144 is greater than the height ofthe through hole 120 of the deck 110.

FIGS. 5A-5F show, sequential cross-sectional side views of the truckassembly 140 being attached to the deck 110. In particular, FIG. 5Ashows the truck assembly 140 initially detached from the deck 110. Then,from FIG. 5A to FIG. 5B, the truck assembly 140 is brought into contactwith the deck 110. First, as is shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the flange 143of the base body 142 is partially inserted into the flange receiver 118of the deck 110. In one embodiment, the truck assembly 140 is tilted toa predetermined angle θ, then lifted upward and toward the distal end ofthe deck 110 (in this embodiment, toward the second end 114 of the deck110) such that the flange 143 is inserted into the flange receiver 118of the deck 110.

FIG. 5B shows the flange 143 of the base body 142 partially insertedinto the flange receiver 118 of the deck. Between FIG. 5B and FIG. 5C,the base body 142 is rotated (in the embodiment shown, in a clockwisedirection about an axis extending horizontally in a direction parallelto the width of the deck 110) such that the column 144 is inserted intothe through hole 120 of the deck 110. The column 144 is particularlyconfigured to be inserted into and through the throat 124 of the throughhole 120 of the deck 110. The column 144 shown in FIG. 5A through FIG.5C is the column 144 in its original state S1.

FIG. 5C shows the column 144 having been rotated and inserted into thethroat 124 of the through hole 120 of the deck 110. FIG. 5C furthershows a welder 400 in a first position. The welder 400 may be, e.g., anywelder capable of softening and deforming a material of the column 144,such as a friction stir spot welding machine, a spin welding machine,etc., and may include a pin 440, which may have a shape corresponding tothe bottom surface of the cavity 145 of the column 144. In oneembodiment, the welder 400 is a spin welder, which generates heat byrotational friction to deform the column 144. In this regard, the welder400 may execute rotational motion to heat and deform the column 144,which may consist of thermoplastic material. In an alternativeembodiment, if predetermined portions of the deck 110 and truck assembly140 are composed of metal, the top end 146 of the truck assembly 140 maybe affixed to the seat 122 of the deck 110 via welding, e.g., gas metalarc welding, gas tungsten arc welding, shielded metal arc welding,and/or flux-cored arc welding. Further, the welder 400 may affix thecolumn 144 to the deck 110 via any method of attaching components nowknown or later developed. Accordingly, the welder 400 does notnecessarily rotate.

In the embodiment shown, between FIG. 5C and FIG. 5D, the welder 400 andthe toy finger skateboard assembly 100 are moved relative to one anothersuch that a bottom surface 420 of the welder 400 comes into contact witha top end 146 of the column 144. In one embodiment, in addition to beingconfigured for rotational motion, the welder 400 is configured to moveup and down. In an alternative embodiment, the welder 400 performsrotational motion in a fixed vertical position, and a grip or platformon which the toy finger skateboard assembly 100 is affixed moves up anddown such that the toy finger skateboard assembly 100 is brought towardand away from the welder 400. In yet another embodiment, both the welder400 and the toy finger skateboard assembly 100 are configured to maymove vertically/longitudinally. For simplicity, the toy fingerskateboard assembly 100 in FIG. 5C through FIG. 5F remains in a fixedspatial position, and the welder 400 moves vertically relative to thetoy finger skateboard assembly 100. Thus, from FIG. 5C to FIG. 5E, thewelder 400 spins and moves downward; and from FIG. 5E to FIG. 5F, thewelder 400 moves upward (with or without spinning).

FIG. 5D shows the welder 400 in a second position in which the bottomsurface 420 of the welder 400 is in contact with the top end 146 of thecolumn 144. In the illustrated embodiment, the welder 400 is a spinwelder in the process of rotating, and the truck assembly 140 isgenerally held in a fixed position such that the truck assembly 140 doesnot execute rotational motion as a result of its contact with the welder400. When the bottom surface 420 of the welder 400 contacts the top end146 of the column 144, (1) heat is generated by the rotational frictiontherebetween and (2) the pin 440 of the welder 400 is moved towardbottom surface of the cavity 145 of the column 144, i.e., the welder 400is moved downward such that the column 144 is deformed via spin welding.From FIG. 5D to FIG. 5E, the column 144 is deformed from the originalstate S1 to the deformed state S2.

FIG. 5E shows the welder 400 in a third position in which the nose 440of the welder 400 has been moved to (or substantially adjacent to) thebottom surface of the cavity 145 of the column 144. In this embodiment,the welder 400 will have moved to its lowest position such that thecolumn 144 has been deformed to the deformed state S2 via spin weldingof the welder 400. As noted above, from FIG. 5E to FIG. 5F in theembodiment shown, the welder 400 lifts upward away from the deck 110.

FIG. 5F shows the welder 400 in a fourth position in which the welder400 is no longer in contact with the column 144 of the base body 142. InFIG. 5F, the truck assembly 140 has been attached to the deck 110.Specifically, the column 144 has been deformed to the deformed state S2such that the top end 146 of the column 144 has been deformed to contactthe seat 122 of the through hole 120 of the deck 110, i.e., the column144 is deformed into a seat flange. In this regard, the combination ofthe flange 143 and the deformed column 144 in the form of a seat flangeprevent the truck assembly from moving in any direction, i.e., forward,backward, left, right, upward, and downward, relative to the deck 110.That is, this combination of couplings eliminates all degrees of freedombetween the main body 142 of a truck assembly 140 and the deck 110.While this process of attaching the truck assembly 140 to the deck 110is illustrated with respect to the truck assembly 140 closer to thesecond end 114, the same process may be repeated with the other truckassembly 140 closer to the first end 113. In the alternative, there maybe two welders 400 that simultaneously perform the above-noted weldingprocess on the truck assemblies associated with the first side 115 andthe second side 116.

The above-noted method of attaching the truck assembly 140 to the deck110 is advantageous in that such method obviates the need for separatecomponents (e.g., screws, nuts, and other such components) to attach thetruck assembly 140 to the deck 110. Because these additional componentsare no longer necessary, the manufacturing process is more efficient andcan lead to decreased manufacturing costs. Further, because theseadditional components, e.g., nuts, bolts, etc., are necessarily smalland thus easy to lose, the end user or customer of the toy fingerskateboard is not susceptible to losing such small components, thereforeultimately increasing user satisfaction.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5F, the column 144 is deformed such thatthe column 144 in the deformed state S2 no longer protrudes above thetop surface 111 of the deck 110. Accordingly, the grip layer 130 may beattached to the top surface 11 of the deck 110 to cover the through hole120, the flange 143, and the flange receiver 118. The result is anaesthetically pleasing appearance and a functional grip layer 130 onwhich the user can place his or her toy finger shoes 200, which arediscussed in further detail below with respect to FIGS. 7-9 .

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a method 600 of manufacturing a toy fingerskateboard, in accordance with aspects of the present application. Themethod 600 begins at step 602. At step 602, a flange portion of a toyfinger skateboard truck is inserted into a flange receiver of a toyfinger skateboard deck. At step 604, the toy finger skateboard truck ismoved such that a column portion of the toy finger skateboard truck isreceived by a through hole of the toy finger skateboard deck. At step606, there is interaction with a top end of the column portion of thetoy finger skateboard truck such that the toy finger skateboard truck isaffixed or attached to the toy finger skateboard deck. This interactionmay be welding the top end of the column portion of the toy fingerskateboard truck to a seat portion of the toy finger skateboard deck. Atleast a portion of the top end of the column portion, in someembodiments, is cylindrical. However, the column portion may be anysuitable shape. The interaction may be, deforming the top end of thecolumn portion to create a seat flange and/or the welding may be spinwelding. Still further, the seat portion of the toy finger skateboarddeck may be below a top surface of the toy finger skateboard, a griplayer may be affixed to the top surface of the deck, and the grip layermay cover the seat portion of the deck. As noted above, a user may playwith the toy finger skateboard assembly 100 in combination with one ormore toy finger shoes 200. A user, however, may play with the toy fingerskateboard assembly 100 without any toy finger shoes 200, e.g., usinghis or her fingers alone.

Turning now to FIG. 7A through 7B, a toy finger skateboard shoe 200 isshown. In particular, a side view from a first side (showing an“outside” of the shoe) is shown on the left, and a side view from asecond side (showing an “inside” of the shoe) is shown on the right. Asshown in FIG. 7A, the shoe(s) 200 may generally include an upper 220, asole 240, and an insert 260. The upper 220 may further include a fingerhole 222, which is configured to accept a finger of an end user orcustomer. The sole 240 may further include a first bracket 246 and asecond bracket 248, which are described in further detail below.

FIG. 7B is an isometric view of a pair of toy finger shoes 200 withtheir respective inserts 260 removed from the toy finger shoes 200.Further, the removed inserts 260 are shown in side views. The toy fingershoes 200 may be used with the toy finger skateboard assembly 100 withthe inserts 260 inserted into the shoes 200 or with the inserts 260removed. In one embodiment, the shoes 200 are configured such that whenthe inserts 260 are removed, the shoes 200 are attachable and detachablefrom the toy finger skateboard assembly 100. As shown in FIGS. 7A and7B, the shape of the inserts 260 correspond to the shape of the firstbracket 246 and second bracket 248. Further, the shape of the bottomsurfaces of the soles 240 and the top surfaces of the inserts 260further correspond to a shape of the deck 110 of the toy fingerskateboard assembly 100, to which the shoes 200 are configured toattach. Specifically, in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, thebottom surface of the sole 240 in each shoe 200 between the firstbracket 246 and the second bracket 248 is convex, which corresponds withthe concave curve between the first side 115 and second side 116 of thedeck 110.

When the insert 260 is inserted into the sole 240 of the shoe 200, theuser may still wear the toy finger shoe 200 on the user's fingertip.Further, when the insert 260 is inserted into the sole 240 of the shoe200, the bottom surface of the shoe is substantially continuous betweenthe first bracket 246 and the second bracket 248. This continuous bottomsurface of the sole 240, which has the insert 260 inserted, is notnecessarily limited to any shape and may be flat, planar, or convex. Inother words, when the insert 260 is inserted into the sole 240 of theshoe 200, there is not a substantial gap extending from the bottomsurface of the first bracket 246 to the bottom surface of the secondbracket 248. In this regard, while shoes 200 are detached from the toyfinger skateboard assembly 100 and the inserts 260 are inserted into thesoles 240 of the shoes 200, the user may still be able to “walk” on asurface with the shoes 200 or perform ground tricks with the toy fingerskateboard assembly 100 with the shoes 200 attached to his or herfingertips 320. Since the toy finger skateboard kit enables a user touse the shoes both while attached and detached from the toy fingerskateboard assembly 100, the toy finger skateboard kit offers enhancedversatility and thus provides for a more diverse user experience thantraditional toy finger skateboards.

FIG. 8 shows a substantially front perspective view of a shoe 200attached to a toy finger skateboard assembly 100 with a cross sectionthrough the center of the shoe 200 placed on the toy finger skateboardassembly 100 on a distal end side of one truck assembly 140. As shown,the width of the shoe 200 is wider than the width of the deck 110.Further, the sole 240 of the shoe 200 includes the first bracket 246 andthe second bracket 248, both of which generally include a verticalportion that is configured to contact a side edge of the deck 110 towhich the shoe 200 is attached. On lower end sides of the verticalportions of the first bracket 246 and the second bracket 248, the firstbracket 246 and the second bracket 248 further include horizontalportions that are configured to contact a portion of the bottom surface112 of the deck 110. The first bracket 246 and the second bracket 248may have reflectional symmetry about a plane that vertically divides thetoy finger skateboard deck 110 along its longitudinal center.

As shown in FIG. 8 , the toy finger skateboard deck 110 may have aslight concave curve between the first side 115 and the second side 116,and the bottom surface of the sole 240 between the first bracket 246 andthe second bracket 248 may have a slight convex curve corresponding tothe lateral concave curve of the toy finger skateboard deck 110. FIG. 8further illustrates the toy finger skateboard deck 110 may have a shoebracket 125 located on and protruding above the top surface 111 of thedeck 110 and/or the top surface 132 of the grip layer 130. The bottomsurface of the sole 240 between the first bracket 246 and the secondbracket 248 may further include a bracket receiver 249, which is arecessed portion configured to accept the shoe bracket 125. When thebracket receiver 249 of the shoe 200 accepts the shoe bracket 125, whichis attached to the deck 110, the shoe is generally prevented from movinglaterally, i.e., from moving toward or away from the first end 113 orthe second end 114.

There may be at least two methods of attaching a shoe 200 to a toyfinger skateboard assembly 100. In either method, however, the firststep of attaching the shoe 200 to the toy finger skateboard assembly 100is to remove the insert 260 of each shoe 200 from the shoe 200. This maybe accomplished by pressing laterally on a side of the insert 260 suchthat the insert 260 slides out of the first bracket 246 and the secondbracket 248,

According to a first method of attachment, the main body of the shoe200, which includes the upper 220 and the sole 240, may consist of adeformable material such that the shoe 200 is configured to bend ordeform and subsequently return to its original shape. The deformablematerial of the shoe 200 may be an elastic material that returns to itsoriginal shape after deformation, and the deformable material may be aresilient deformable material. Alternatively, the shoe 200 may comprisea rigid material.

Thus, the first bracket 246 of the shoe 200 may be placed on the firstside 115 at a location such that the bracket receiver 249 is in aposition to accept the shoe bracket 125. Subsequently, the shoe 200 maybe wrapped around the top surface of the deck 110 such that the bottomsurface of the sole 240 between the first bracket 246 and the secondbracket 248 contacts the top surface 111 of the deck and/or the topsurface 132 of the grip layer 130.

Finally, the second bracket 248 can be wrapped around the second side116 of the deck 110. In one embodiment, the shoe 200 makes a snappingnoise when the second bracket 248 is attached to the second side 116 ofthe deck 110. Either way, both the first bracket 246 and the secondbracket 248 hug the sides of the deck 110. In the alternative, a usermay begin by attaching the second bracket 248 to the second side 116 ofthe deck 110 and wrap the shoe around the deck and finish by wrappingthe first bracket 246 around the first side 115 of the deck. Similarly,the shoe 200 may make a snapping noise when the first bracket 246 isattached to the first side 115 of the deck 110.

In either case, to remove the shoe 200, a user may apply pressure to theinside of the first bracket 246 such that the first bracket 246 ispushed away from the first side 115 of the deck 110. Alternatively, theshoe 200 may be removed by applying pressure to the inside of the secondbracket 248 such that the second bracket 248 is pushed away from thesecond side 116 of the deck 110. Once the first bracket 246 or thesecond bracket 248 is removed from the respective side of the deck 110,the shoe may be released from the shoe 200.

According to a second method of attachment, the material of the shoes200 is not limited to a deformable material, but may be a deformable orrigid material. In this second method of attaching the toy finger shoes200 to the toy finger skateboard assembly 100, each shoe 200 may slidelaterally onto the board from either the first end 113 or the second end114 of the deck 110. To facilitate this movement, the shoe bracket 125may be movable.

For example, the shoe bracket 125 may be attached to a spring (notshown) and a button or lever (not shown). When the button or lever isactivated, the shoe bracket 125 may be pulled to a location beneath thesurface of the deck 110; and when the button or level is released, thespring connected to the shoe bracket 125 may push the shoe bracket 125to its original position protruding above the surface of the top surface111 of the deck 110 or the top surface 132 of the grip layer 130. Thus,when the user is sliding a shoe 200 onto the deck 110, the user mayactivate the button or level to move the shoe bracket 125 out of the wayof the sliding shoe 200, and when the shoe 200 is at a position wherethe bracket receiver 249 is above the recessed shoe bracket 125, theuser may release the button or lever such that the bracket receiver 249accepts the shoe bracket 125 as the shoe bracket 125 returns to itsoriginal position protruding above the top surface 111 of the deck 110.When a user desires to remove a shoe 200 from the toy finger skateboardassembly 100, the user may hold down the button or lever such that theshoe bracket 125 releases the shoe 200, and the shoe 200 may then beslid off the toy finger skateboard assembly 100.

After attaching a first shoe 200, the process of attaching the shoe 200may be repeated with the other shoe 200 such that both shoes 200 areattached to the toy finger skateboard assembly 100. Regardless of themethod of attachment, after both shoes 200 are attached to the toyfinger skateboard assembly 100, the user may place his or her fingers inthe finger holes 222 of the shoes 200 and perform tricks with the toyfinger skateboard assembly 100. At least because of the attachmentbetween the shoes 200 and the toy finger skateboard assembly 100, thetricks may include tricks that the user would not otherwise be able toperform.

For example, the toy finger skateboard assembly 100 with attached toyfinger shoes 200 enables the user to perform, e.g., aerial trickswithout the user needing to grabbing the toy finger skateboard with theuser's thumb or fingers of the other hand. This enables a user toperform enhanced tricks while playing with the toy finger skateboardassembly 100 in a preferred manner, i.e., where the user only uses twofingers to imaginatively replicate the legs of a life-size skateboarder.Consequently, the toy finger skateboard kit according to the presentapplication provides additional enhancements and play modes through theaddition of removably attachable finger-tips shoes that selectivelyattach the toy finger skateboard. As noted above, however, the toyfinger skateboard assembly 100 may be played with or used by the userwithout the shoes 200. Omitting the shoes 200 may be desirable, forexample, to minimize the amount of components included in the toy fingerskateboard kit.

While the shoe 200 may be slid or snapped onto the deck 110, the shoe200 method or mechanism by which the shoe 200 attaches to the deck 100is not limited to any particular method or mechanism and may useadditional or alternative methods now known or later developed.

In one alternative embodiment, the deck 110 may include one or moreholes or cavities (not shown) that are configured to accept one or morecomponents, e.g., posts, that protrude downward from the bottom surfaceof the sole 240 of the shoe 200. These one or more protruding posts maybe unitarily formed in sole 240 of the shoe 200 and configured to matewith the one or more corresponding cavities in the top surface 111 ofthe deck 110. The cavities may be located at one or more locations inthe top surface 111 of the deck 110 where a toy finger shoe 200 wouldtypically contact the deck 110. For example, the cavity or cavities maybe located on the top surface 111 of the deck 110 at location(s) abovethe truck assembly 140. In another embodiment, the cavity or cavitiesmay be on the deck 110 at positions inward from above the truck assemblywith respect to the first end 113 and the second end 114 of the deck 110such that the shoes 200, when attached, appear similar to thepositioning of the shoes shown in FIG. 1 . The location(s) of the cavityor cavities, however, is not limited and may be at any location(s) onthe top surface 111 of the deck 110.

A configuration that includes posts in the shoes 200 and correspondingcavities in the deck 10 may or may not include attachable/detachableinsert(s) 260. In one embodiment, the shoes 200 do not have include thefirst bracket 246 or the second bracket 248, and the inserts 240 take adifferent shape than that shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B. In particular, theinserts 240 may have the same length and width of the sole 240, may havecavities, which are used to attach to inserts to the posts of the shoe200. In another embodiment, there are no inserts 240 and the bottomsurface of the soles 240 include the protruding posts.

While there may be one cavity and one corresponding post per shoe 200,the number of cavities and number of corresponding posts per shoe is notnecessarily limited. For example, two posts on the bottom of each shoe200 may mate with two corresponding cavities on either side of the deck110. Alternatively, there may be any number of cavities andcorresponding posts on each shoe 200. Further, the number of cavities oneach side of the deck 110 may not be equal to the number of posts oneach shoe. For example, each shoe 200 may include only one post, butthere may be a plurality of cavities on each side of the deck 110 suchthat the user may position the shoe 200 in varying positions orlocations on the top surface 111 of the deck 110 by mating the post ofthe shoe 200 with one of the plurality of cavities on the top surface111 of the deck 110. Therefore, there may any number of cavities in thedeck 110 and any number of posts on the bottom surface of the shoe(s)200.

In yet another embodiment, the deck 110 may have posts that mate withcavities within the shoes 200. Specifically, the deck 110 may includeone or more components, e.g., post(s) (not shown), that protrude fromthe top surface 111 of the deck 110. The one or more posts on the deck110 may be configured to mate with one or more corresponding cavities(not shown) in the bottom surface of the sole 240 of the shoe 200. Thepost(s) may protrude from the top surface 111 of the deck 110 at one ormore locations where the toy finger shoe(s) 200 would typically contactthe toy finger skateboard. For example, the post(s) may protrude fromthe top surface 111 of the deck 110 at location(s) above the truckassemblies 140. In another embodiment, the posts may be on the deck 110at positions inward from above truck assemblies 140 with respect to thefirst end 113 and the second end 114 of the deck 110. The location(s) ofthe post(s) on the deck 110, however, are not limited and may be at anylocation(s) on the top surface 111 of the deck 110.

A configuration that includes post(s) on the deck 110 and correspondinghole(s) in the sole(s) 240 of the shoe(s) 200 may or may not includeattachable/detachable insert(s) 260. The sole(s) 240 of the shoe(s) 200may be unitarily formed.

While there may only be one cavity in each shoe 200 that corresponds toa corresponding cavity in the deck 110, the number of posts and numberof corresponding cavities per shoe is not necessarily limited. Forexample, two posts on each side of the deck 110 may mate with twocorresponding cavities in each shoe 200. Alternatively, there may be anynumber of posts and corresponding cavities in each shoe 200. Further,the number of posts on each side of the deck 110 may not be equal to thenumber of cavities in each shoe. For example, the deck 110 may includeonly one post corresponding to one shoe 200, and each shoe 200 mayinclude a plurality of cavities in the sole 240 such that the user mayposition the shoe 200 in varying positions or locations on the topsurface 111 of the deck 110 by mating the post with one of the pluralityof cavities in the bottom surface of the sole 240 of the shoe 200.Therefore, there may any number of posts and any number of cavities ineach sole 240.

While the posts and corresponding cavities may be cylindrical, the shapeof a post and a corresponding cavity is not limited and may take anysuitable shape.

In yet another embodiment, the shoes 200 may attach to the deck 110 in amanner similar to the manner in which a track assembly 140 may attach tothe deck 110. Specifically, each shoe 200 may have one or more flangeportions (not shown), which are configured to be accepted by cavities,e.g., flange receiving portions, in the top surface 111 of the deck 110.In one embodiment, the deck 110 may have two different types of flangereceiving portions; a first type of flange receiving portion may receivethe flange 143 of the truck main body 142 in the manner described above,and a second type of flange receiving portion may receive a flange of ashoe 200.

The flange of the shoe 200 may be on a front portion and/or a backportion of the bottom surface of the shoe 200. After the second type offlange receiving portion in the deck 110 accepts the flange of the shoe200, the shoe 200 may further connect to the deck 110 via a post andcavity method, similar to that described above; and the post or cavitymay be located on the bottom surface of the shoe 200 on a side of theshoe 200 opposite to the flange. In another embodiment, after the secondtype of flange receiving portion in the deck 110 accepts the flange ofthe shoe 200, the shoe 200 may further connect to the deck 110 via abracket located on a side of the shoe 200 opposite to the flange. In oneembodiment, the flange is located on a front portion of the shoe 200,and a bracket is located on a back portion of the shoe resembles thesecond flange 248 shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B. In another embodiment, theflange is located on the back portion of the shoe 200, and the bracketis located on the front portion of the shoe and resembles the firstflange 246 shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B.

In still yet another embodiment, attached to the board assembly 100,there may be bindings (not shown), which are configured to accept theshoes 100. In this embodiment, the bindings may resemble the bindings ofa life-sized snowboard or wakeboard. Further, in this embodiment, theboard assembly may not resemble a life-sized skateboard. Instead, theboard assembly 100 may instead resemble a life-sized snowboard, and the“shoes” 100 may resemble life-sized snowboard boots. In a boots andbinding embodiment which resembles that of a life-sized snowboard, thetruck assemblies and wheels may be omitted. The bindings may becomponents separate from the deck 110. The bindings and the deck 110 maybe configured such that they may be affixed to one another using theflange and welding method disclosed above with respect to the attachmentof a truck assembly 140 and the deck 110. However, the bindings and thedeck 110 may be attached an any other suitable manner now known or laterdeveloped. Further, the bindings may be unitarily formed with the deck110.

Generally referring to FIGS. 1-8 , the toy finger skateboard assembly100 and/or shoes 200 may be fabricated from any suitable material, orcombination of materials, such as metal, plastic, foamed plastic, wood,cardboard, pressed paper, metal, supple natural or synthetic materialsincluding, but not limited to, cotton, elastomers, polyester, plastic,rubber, derivatives thereof, and combinations thereof. Suitable plasticsmay include high-density polyethylene (HDPE), low-density polyethylene(LDPE), polystyrene, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS),polycarbonate, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polypropylene,ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA), or the like. Suitable foamed plastics mayinclude expanded or extruded polystyrene, expanded or extrudedpolypropylene, EVA foam, derivatives thereof, and combinations thereof.

Additionally, it is to be understood that terms such as “left,” “right,”“top,” “bottom,” “front,” “rear,” “side,” “height,” “length,” “width,”“upper,” “lower,” “interior,” “exterior,” “inner,” “outer” and the likeas may be used herein, merely describe points or portions of referenceand do not limit the present invention to any particular orientation orconfiguration. Further, the term “exemplary” is used herein to describean example or illustration. Any embodiment described herein as exemplaryis not to be construed as a preferred or advantageous embodiment, butrather as one example or illustration of a possible embodiment of theinvention.

Although the disclosed inventions are illustrated and described hereinas embodied in one or more specific examples, it is nevertheless notintended to be limited to the details shown, since various modificationsand structural changes may be made therein without departing from thescope of the inventions and within the scope and range of equivalents ofthe claims. In addition, various features from one of the embodimentsmay be incorporated into another of the embodiments. Accordingly, it isappropriate that the appended claims be construed broadly and in amanner consistent with the scope of the disclosure as set forth in thefollowing claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of manufacturing a toy finger skateboardcomprising: inserting a flange portion of a toy finger skateboard truckinto a flange receiver of a toy finger skateboard deck; moving the toyfinger skateboard truck such that a column portion of the toy fingerskateboard truck is received by a through hole of the toy fingerskateboard deck; and interacting with a top end of the column portion ofthe toy finger skateboard truck to affix the toy finger skateboard truckto the toy finger skateboard deck.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein: atleast a portion of the top end of the column portion is cylindrical. 3.The method of claim 1, wherein the interacting with the top end of thecolumn portion to affix the toy finger skateboard truck to the toyfinger skateboard deck comprises: welding the top end of the columnportion of the toy finger skateboard truck to a seat portion of the toyfinger skateboard deck.
 4. The method of claim 3, wherein: the weldingcomprises spin welding.
 5. The method of claim 3, wherein welding thetop end of the column portion of the toy finger skateboard truck to theseat portion of the toy finger skateboard deck comprises: deforming thetop end of the column portion to create a seat flange.
 6. The method ofclaim 3, wherein: the seat portion of the toy finger skateboard deck isbelow a top surface of the toy finger skateboard deck.
 7. The method ofclaim 6, further comprising: affixing a grip layer to the top surface ofthe toy finger skateboard deck.
 8. The method of claim 7, wherein: thegrip layer covers the seat portion of the toy finger skateboard deck. 9.The method of claim 1, further comprising: providing at least one shoethat comprises a finger hole in an upper of the at least one shoe and atleast one bracket on a sole of the at least one shoe; and removablyattaching the at least one shoe to the toy finger skateboard with the atleast one bracket is configured to removably attach the at least oneshoe to the toy finger skateboard.
 10. The method of claim 9, whereinthe at least one shoe has a length that is longer than a width of thetoy finger skateboard deck.
 11. The method of claim 9, wherein the atleast one bracket comprises a first bracket attached to a front end ofthe sole and a second bracket attached to a back end of the sole. 12.The method of claim 11, wherein: the first bracket is configured tocontact a first side edge of the toy finger skateboard deck, and thesecond bracket is configured to contact a second side edge of the toyfinger skateboard deck, wherein the first side edge and the second sideedge are on opposing sides of the toy finger skateboard deck.
 13. Themethod of claim 12, wherein: the first bracket is further configured towrap around the first side edge of the toy finger skateboard deck, andthe second bracket is further configured to wrap around the second sideedge of the toy finger skateboard deck.
 14. The method of claim 11,wherein: the at least one shoe comprises a rigid material, and the atleast one shoe is configured to slide onto the toy finger skateboarddeck from a front end or a back end of the toy finger skateboard deck.15. The method of claim 11, wherein: the at least one shoe comprises adeformable material, and the at least one shoe is configured to attachto the toy finger skateboard deck by placing the first bracket on afirst side edge of the toy finger skateboard deck and deforming the atleast one shoe such that the second bracket wraps around a second sideedge of the toy finger skateboard deck.
 16. The method of claim 11,wherein the shoe further comprises: an insert that is configured to beinserted into the sole of the at least one shoe between the firstbracket and the second bracket.
 17. The method of claim 16, wherein,when the insert is inserted into the sole of the shoe, a bottom surfaceof the shoe has a continuous surface.
 18. A method of manufacturing atoy finger skateboard comprising: removably coupling a flange portion ofa toy finger skateboard truck to a flange receiver of a toy fingerskateboard deck; removably coupling a column portion of the toy fingerskateboard truck to a through hole of the toy finger skateboard deck;and affixing the column portion of the toy finger skateboard truck tothe toy finger skateboard deck to fixedly couple the toy fingerskateboard truck to the toy finger skateboard deck.
 19. The method ofclaim 18, wherein the affixing comprises welding a top end of the columnportion of the toy finger skateboard truck to a seat portion of the toyfinger skateboard deck.
 20. The method of claim 19, wherein the seatportion of the toy finger skateboard deck is below a top surface of thetoy finger skateboard deck.